Glass

Introduction

Glass is a beautiful material made from sand. Sand contains 100 percent crystalline silica in the form of quartz. The 'natural' colour of Glass is a greenish tint which occurs from impurities in the sand. Coloured Glass is made by adding metal compounds and mineral oxides. For example, lead crystal is a form of Glass that contains 23% lead oxide. You will find a vast array of different coloured Glass on the market today such as traditional Victorian Rolled Cathedral Glass, Antique Glass, Opal Glass and Pattern and Etched Glass.

Another type of glass available is GRP - Glass Reinforced Plastic, more commonly known as Fibreglass. Fibreglass is made from Chopped Glass Strand Mat and resin, which has a multitude of uses within Sculpture.

Click here to go to the Craft Videos Section

Techniques

Stained Glass:

Stained Glass is the process of working with glass that has been coloured with metallic salts. Artists that work with Stained Glass cut and shape it and fit it together over a frame with Lead Strip. A more readily available alternative to lead strip is Copper Foil which is very easy to work with. You can make boxes, candle holders and vases from assembling pieces of cut Stained Glass. Although Glass seems to be a workshop-based material, it is very easy to work with with the right tools in a small space. Even just a desk is enough space to get started. Tools that you need to begin constructing with glass are a glass cutter, a set square, some copper foil, flux and an 80 watt soldering iron.

Go on, give it a go today!

Blowing Glass:

Blowing Glass is an amazing skill which uses molten glass to make various objects. The glassblower makes up the molten Glass and dips the blowpipe into it. Then air is blown into the blowpipe to expand the Glass. Various processes then follow to mould and shape the glass with various tools before separating the finished piece from the blowpipe.

Casting Glass:

Casting Glass is a fantastic way to work with Glass if you have axcess to a kiln. Open Moulds or lost wax casts are made usually from an extremely strong casting plaster or Mould Mix. After firing the mould is broken away from the piece and thrown away. If using multiple pieces of cast Glass they are fused together before polishing off.

Painted Glass:

Painted Glass is fun and you can get beautiful results practically instantly. You can paint any type of Glass from wine glasses to picture frames and tealight holders. You can choose from Glass Paint that is water or spirit based. I would recommend that for decorative objects you need to use a water based Glass Paint. For objects that require washing, use a spirit based Glass Paint such as Vitrail from Pebeo. Get Glass Paints here from Everglades Craft Material Supplies. Wash your Glass painted objects by hand to keep them in tip top condition. To get painting on Glass all you need are some Glass Paints and a tube of gold Outliner Pen. The best paintbrush to use is one suitable for Acrylic paint as it holds liquids very well. Go on, GET PAINTING!

Click here to go to the Projects Section